Getting Older

Eight years ago today, my husband and I had our first date.  We met Halloween night as strangers in a bar, and within 24-hours we intentionally met again in a cemetery to photograph candlelit graves for All Saints Day.  After that, we went to eat dinner at a local restaurant (which we will be visiting for a meal today, as we do every year) to celebrate.  That same restaurant is where he proposed to me one year after our first date.  Our girl was born two and a half months later.  

We were in our thirties when we met.  I think a big reason we were as social as we used to be pre-COVID times is because we were still dating in a way, even though it was no longer just the two of us.  If you did the math, we didn't have much "just the two of us" time before we became parents.  Another reason we used to take so many family field trips is because of FOMO (fear of missing out).  I have an invisible to-do list that is made up entirely of experiences that gets longer and longer, the more I find out about what's going on.  

Now that we are both in our early forties, we have noticed a significant change in our bodies.  We both need to lose weight for one, but we are also finding ourselves with more aches and pains.  Keeping up with our first grader is physically challenging at times.  Current lifestyle restrictions have slowed us down a lot so we are home more and take weekends much easier than we used to.  That's probably a good thing for multiple reasons, and it's also likely made us more aware of body issues.  Ibuprofen, Aleve, heating pads, and ice packs are becoming our good friends.  

I feel guilty that we aren't able to keep up as younger parents might with their energetic children.  My parents were in their mid-thirties when I was six years old. Some of our daughter's friends have much younger parents.  On the other hand, most of our friends had kids later, too, so we're all in the same boat as far as energy levels and aging bodies go.  In that light, I feel less guilty.  Our girl loves us no matter what and doesn't know the difference between us now and us eight years ago.  

My husband gave me a card once that said, "I wish I'd have met you sooner so I could love you longer".  I wish that, too.  And there is no one else that I'd rather be getting older with than him, aches and pains or not.